URGENT! Bichir got sucked into filter!!

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PaiLum92

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 18, 2010
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Fort Collins
I was laying in bed sleeping when i heard a thump and noticed my filter stopped running. I got up and looked in the tank, couldnt find my juvenile Delhezi.. I pulled the tube of the filter out and found he was stuck in there..

I have no idea how.. there was a guard on the filter, maybe it wasnt on tight enough..?

Anyway, the only thing keeping him from getting chopped up was anohter guard. I managed to rip the guard off, cutting myself, etc, and he fell out and swam into the tank.

He is breathing, but he has red marks near his gills, on top of his head, and on the two feelers... He also wont expand any of the fins on his back, not sure if those are hurt or not... No blood as far as i can tell...

Will he be ok? I got him a few days ago, if i knew the filter would fall apart and he would get sucked up i would have found a diff one..

So, do i need to freeze him to put him out humanely, or will he live?

Please help!
 
Don't euthanize him yet. I'd keep him in a hospital tank if you have one to avoid getting picked on by other fish. Otherwise I'd keep the lights off if you can and just keep the water clean and don't stress him out at all. Bichirs are pretty tough and I've seen some survive some pretty crazy escape acts out of the tank.
If he doesn't improve in a few days then you can think about euthanizing a little more seriously.
 
Problem is he was already in a quarantine tank... He almost acts afraid to swim up and get air, which he needs... im not even sure if he can swim up... his fins dont look torn or damaged...

I ut an airstone in the tank, just incase he needs the air he may be able to rid the bubbles up or something.. not sure.. never had this happen before so im freaking out...
 
Airstone sounds good. Like I said (I know it can be hard) but just leave him alone for now in a dark tank. Either he will make it or he won't... Try to keep it as quiet as possible around the tank. A lot of what you're observing is probably stress induced from his ordeal.
 
Ok, also, in the attempt to get him out of the tube (it was either try to blow him out the way he came in, by mouth, or rip the tube apart) i chose the latter and the little piece with the magnet and blue thing (10g quarantine tank, if it helps) got broken off... It can still fit in its slot, but will it be stable enough to run the filter? If not he may have to go without a filter for 10 or so hours...
 
Is the filter cycled? Remove the filter media and put it in the tank water and run the airstone. Should be ok for 10 hours. You should replace it with a sponge filter run on your airpump for the quarantine tank.
 
filter still runs, luckily... i rigged some fishing line around the screen and the tube, maybe it will hold it untill i can get a new tube/filter.
 
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